





Standardization 
of Rural Schools 



Issued by 



State Department of Education 

Salem, Oregon 

19i5 




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STATE PRINTING DEPARTMENT 
SALEM, OREGON 



P. Of D<? 



A Standard School 

state of Oregon 



The Standard Scliool 



A STANDARD SCHOOL 

State of Oregon 

Flag — Must be flying, weather permitting. 

Schoolhouse — Properly lighted. 

Equipment — Teacher's desk and chair; desks for 
pupils properly adapted and placed; suitable black- 
boards; window shades in good condition. 

Heating and Ventilating — Jacketed stove properly 
situated, minimum requirement; window boards or 
some other approved method of ventilating. 

Rooms — Attractive at all times. 

Standard Picture — One new one, unless three are 
already in the room, framed. 

Grounds — To be clean, free from paper, etc. At 
least three features of play apparatus. Walks, 
if necessary. 

Sanitation — Pure drinking water, either drinking 
fountain or covered tank and individual drinking 
cups; individual, family or paper towels. 

Outbuildings — At least two good ones, to be sani- 
tary at all times and free from marks. 

Teacher — Must maintain good order at all times; 
supervise the playground; have her work well pre- 
pared; follow State course of study; take at least 
one educational journal; have program posted in 
room; keep register in good condition; be neat in 
attire. 



The Standard School 



Library — Good selection of books from State list. 
Case for the books. Books kept uprigbt in good 
condition and recorded according to rules specified 
by Oregon State Library and required by law. 

Attendance — Average 92 per cent for year and not 
to exceed two per cent in tardiness for year. 

Length of Term — Not less than eight months of 
school each year. 

A STANDARD to which each rural district must 
bring its school, a measuring rod whereby 
the farmer may be convinced that he has 
not as a rule been providing house and grounds 
equal to those for his cattle and horses, that he has 
not been demanding the same grade of efficiency 
of the rural teacher as he has of his hired hands, 
this is the plan which is making the work of the 
rural school in Oregon effective. It was begun in 
Polk County some five years ago. 



FIFTEEN requirements were established and 
any school district fulfilling all of these was 
declared, after a careful inspection by the 
county school superintendent, to be standard. These 
requirements were printed on a large card and one 
was hung on the front wall of each rural school. 
The type was so large that the card could be read 
easily from any place in the room. At each regular 
visit of the county superintendent he would inspect 
the school and fasten a gold star opposite each 
point to which the school was entitled. When all 
the requirements were earned, a suitable pennant 



The Standard School 



was awarded the school by the county superin- 
tendent. Other counties adopted the plan and 
finally at a convention of the county school super- 
intendents, held in the office of the State Superin- 
tendent of Public Instruction, Salem, Oregon, July 1, 
1914, the plan of having a standard for the schools 
of Oregon was adopted for the entire State. In order 
to help those counties which were just beginning, 
the requirements were made as simple as possible 
for the first year. The standard will be raised each 
year so that there can be no stagnation. The points 
given on the fourth page of this pamphlet show 
what a school had to do during the year 1914-1915 
to become standard. 

IN order to put this plan into operation, a county 
school superintendent should choose one of the 
most progressive districts in his county. Through 
the cooperation of the teacher, a community meet- 
ing should be called, to which every person in the 
district must be invited. It is well to have the 
people feel that this is their meeting. This can be 
easily accomplished by securing a member of the 
school board or some prominent person to act as 
chairman of the meeting, the teacher and the 
superintendent keeping in the background, but 
having the organization of the meeting well planned 
beforehand. If the people of the district are not 
used to speaking in public, a very simple and 
effective way to bring them into a discussion is to 
pass around typewritten questions numbered con- 
secutively, and when the number is called by the 
chairman, the person holding the number will read 
it and answer the same. Such questions as the 
following might be suitable: "How can we 



The Standard School 



change the lighting of this building so that there 
will be no cross-lights?" "Is it a good plan to 
hire a different teacher each term, or would it be 
better to pay a little more and have the same 
teacher year after year, provided, we can find one 
who is entirely satisfactory?" "Why should the 
children have good playgrounds?" At this first 
meeting there should be a good speaker to explain 
the whole plan of standardization, point out just 
what is needed to make the school standard and 
the cost of same. The result will probably be that 
the people will vote a local tax sufficient to raise 
the amount of money necessary to make the 
changes. In most states, the school district has 
the power of voting local taxes. The Russell Sage 
Foundation in its report on the various school 
systems of this country recommends that the dis- 
trict should always have this power in order to 
stimulate its local pride and initiative. After the 
county superintendent has secured one standard 
school and the work has been completed, there 
should be another meeting in the nature of a 
school rally or celebration. Here it is well to make 
use of the press. Newspapers are anxious to get 
live material, and if the story of such work is well 
written, all the newspapers in the county will give 
good reports of the first standard school. After 
this, there will be no difficulty in carrying the 
work into all the neighboring districts; provided 
there is at the head of the schools of the county 
one who is strong, energetic, capable of securing 
the loyalty of the teachers, and who is willing to 
work night and day for the betterment of the 
public schools. 



L-ioMMr-iT ur i^uiNUHtba 



021 731 558 A 



